antenna jack: A coax connector was added to this weather radio. Now an external antenna can be connected to improve reception. The connector is mounted on the side of the radio near the base of the telescoping antenna. Got the F connector by taking apart a tv signal splitter. The mounting bracket is cut from a piece of aluminum angle. Holes were drilled for the F connector, two small bolts and the wire that used to go to the rod antenna. I plan to run coax to a homemade 3 element yagi antenna that will be in my attic. For now, I can connect up to the coax coming from an outdoor tv antenna.
weather radio antenna: It's on the roof of my car. First I removed the head liner from the car, then drilled a 1/8-inch pilot hole, then a 5/16 hole. Soldered two bolts about 1/8-inch in diameter head to head, inline. Used neoprene facet washers to separate the bolts from the metal of the roof. Bent a clothes hanger for the antenna which is 36" long. Put grease and oil on it to keep it from rusting. It works pretty good. The next picture shows how the coax going to the radio is connected.
antenna/coax connection: antenna/coax connection: This is a view looking up where the antenna comes through the roof. The coax center conductor is between the nut that secures the antenna and a nut that grips the conductor. That's a magnet keeping the coax copper braid against a bare metal area of the unerside of the roof. The coax is standard tv RG59. It runs to the radio just a foot or so away.
dental tool: Makes a good toothpick. My teeth are close together so floss breaks a lot. This tool will do the same job as floss, maybe better. To do a thorough job takes about ten minutes. I used a pliers to grip the safety pin close to its point. Pushed it carefully through the end of a plastic tube from a discarded mechanical pencil. The rubber band insures the pin stays put.
Keyboard light: A 4 watt bulb that lets me see my keyboard. This is a view looking slightly upward. The double layer corrugated cardboard is about 7 inches by 7 inches. The cardboard fits in the space between the switch console and a wooden base and extends out over the keyboard a couple of inches . The monitor sits on top of the switch console. The keyboard is on the table upon which the wooden base sits. That puts the keyboard a few inches below the light. The cardboard holds the light and prevents glare from reaching my eyes or the screen. The bulb screws into a night light receptacle which in turn plugs into the end of an extension cord. A U-shaped notch is cut into the cardboard. The hood of the night light base fits in the notch. That's enough to hold everything in place. This does a nice job of letting me find that tilde key in a dark room. Also gives enough light to read a note on paper, if I hold the paper close to the light.
thick gloves: My mother and I made these for my son. The extra thick yarn and tight weave makes them good for very cold weather. The thick yarn and the colors used gives them a rustic and midevial look.
